An Original Copy Of Windows 1.0 OS Signed By Bill Gates Hits eBay

If you were alive in 1985, it was a pretty good year to be around. The movies that came out that year are some of the most popular and classic of '80s films like "The Goonies", "Back to the Future", "Weird Science", and "The Breakfast Club". 1985 also happens to be the year that version 1.0 of Windows rolled out. Someone has dug up a complete version of Windows 1.0 that is signed by no other than Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

The eBay seller, Badastheblues, claims that the Windows 1.0 box set is an original copy that was handed out at an event in Las Vegas in November of 1985. The description of the software reads, "This is an original copy, dated and signed by Bill Gates, of the first ever public distribution of Windows 1.0. About a hundred or so copies were handed out to attendees at a "black tie" event for industry analysts and columnists on November 20, 1985 at Comdex Fall 1985 in Las Vegas, Nevada (USA) . This is the copy I was given that night. Bill Gates signed it for me that night. I do not think he signed any other copies for anyone else that night, so this may be the only autographed copy of the first distribution of Windows 1.0 in existence."

The autograph was written inside the user manual for the software and reads, "Enjoy the product! Thanks for coming - Bill Gates November 20, 1985"

As for the software itself, it appears to be complete with all four of the setup discs and original packaging. The listing includes the user manual for Windows Paint and what appear to be various instruction manuals and package inserts. The set appears to be in extremely good condition, especially given its age.

The software was installed previously and is on big 5.25-inch floppy discs. The seller isn't running the software as an auction on eBay; rather it is listed with a "Buy It Now" price of $9,999. Earlier this month another interesting eBay listing turned up, this one was for an Amiga 2500 computer that was packed with historic NASA data.